Geography
Tanawak is a continent, of which the lower two-thirds are habitable. It is expansive, covering nearly 10 million square miles. The impassable Gritty Wastes forms the northern boundary, well-traveled sailors bring back tales of colder continents beyond, reachable only by sea. The other three sides are bounded by the Great Ocean, euphemistically known as the Nekobar, Zekobar, and Dekobar. The major regions of the continent are described below. Free Cities The coastal region west of the Bilokko Highlands holds most of the civilized population of Tanawak. Within this area reside the Free Cities of Tanawak. These cities are independent from one another, although there are a variety of alliances amongst them. These alliances can be for mutual defense; cultural cooperation; trade; or even good, old-fashioned arranged marriages. These alliances can be strong or weak, and the machinations of the various oligarchies keeps the ruling families busy. These cities rely on the sea for their travel and trade: the roads between them are often in poor repair and dangerous. The rivers are also important, although river travel rarely crosses the weathered Bilokko Highlands into the Blood Jungle. More information on the Free Cities is available here: Free Cities Bontobo Savanna The rains that keep the Blood Jungle lush fade away as one travels south beyond the Free Cities. The vast Bontobo Savannah is the result. It is not as unforgiving as the hot and desolate Gritty Wastes, but it must still be treated with respect. Massive thunder rhinos, herds of dagger horned gazelles, longsnout camels, and other herbivores can startle and stampede to devastating effects; packs of giant hyenas will stalk and hunt an unwary party; and dire lions will pounce on sleepy travelers. Halflings inhabit this area, building their villages in the tops of the giant acacia trees that surround the stable lakes & rivers in the area. The area boasts only one city: the port city of Menzaresch. More information on the Bontobo Savannah is available here: Bontobo Savanna Mentay Plateau Little is known of the Mentay Plateau. It is a massive uplifted plain, ringed by steep, rocky cliffs. The base of the cliffs in certain areas are strewn with the bones of unwelcome travelers. There are a few narrow, switch-backed roadways here and there, but few are allowed to travel them. The Mentay is home to the reclusive goliaths, stone giants, and other races rarely encountered in the other regions of Tanawak. The Talons are a series of coastal peninsulas south of the plateau. Vicious storms blow in from the west, making ship travel difficult. The area is populated only by semi-aquatic tribes of sahuagin and other sea creatures. More information on the Mentay Plateau is available here: Mentay Plateau Plains of Kelast The Plains of Kelast is a vast, sweeping, unsettled grassland. As with the Bontobo Savanna, it is home to various herd animals and predators. Unlike the Bontobo, the one narrow river is not enough to support a sustainable civilization. Instead, roving bands of horse-riding, nomadic humans travel from watering hole to watering hole, hunting ground to hunting ground. Kelastians are expert riders, expert hunters, and very loyal to each other. The nearby Kondo Isle is the home of the seafaring minotaurs. Minotaurs are the only race brave enough to sail east around the Horn of Mentay, and north past the Scarlands, and will do so for a very high price. More information on the Plains of Kelast and Kondo Isle can be found here: Plains of Kelast Scarlands The Scarlands are named for the great rifts that form in this area. The region is highly volcanic. The last such eruption occurred only ten years ago, but was so devastating it blasted a hole in the landscape that was rapidly filled in by the Dekobar Ocean. Now, a series of volcanoes form a ring the bubbling poisonous water. Fortunately, the trade winds travel west-to-east, although the sky grew dark around the entire continent, the populated areas were not directly polluted by the sulfurous fumes of resulting ash cloud. No one travels the region now. The calderic explosion destroyed the civilizations in the area. The beautiful and ancient dragonborn cities were devastated, hundreds of thousands died outright. The few survivors scattered themselves to the other regions of Tanawak. Other victims of the eruption were the residents of the Fandals, an archipelago of islands to the east. The islands were home to reclusive elves, but ever since the eruption, not a single sign of survivors has ever been seen. The few ships that pass the area tell of piles of ash fifty feet high, smothering the entirety of the islands. More information on the Scarlands and the Fandals can be found here: Scarlands The Last Outpost After the devastating explosion of the Scarlands Caldera, the civilizations in the area were destroyed, the few survivors fleeing to other parts of the continent. North of the area, however, is still fully habitable and rather fertile, capable of supporting civilized society. Here sits the city of Ensel-Kanz, now known as The Last Outpost, so named because it is an exclave of a massive nation, northeast across the Deckobar Ocean. Ensel-Kanz's primary customers, at one time, were the Dragonfolk, who barely survived the conflagration and were forced to flee the area; and the elves of the Fandals, who were apparently wiped out. Now, their only choices for trade on the continent are the dangerous shipping routes east of the volcanoes, and then around the storm-infested Horn of Mentay; or the rand route along the Northern Road between the Blood Jungle and the Gritty Wastes. This route is safer than travel within either of those two deadly regions, but it is dangerous nonetheless. Only large, well-armed caravans have a chance, making trade rarely profitable. Rumours have spread, suggesting the Last Outpost may eventually be abandoned, their happy-go-lucky citizenry returning to their homeland across the sea. More information on the Ensel-Kanz can be found here: The Last Outpost Blood Jungle The Blood Jungle dominates the interior of the continent. It is named the Blood Jungle for one reason: it is deadly. The area is replete with monsters, from panthers and lions to carnivorous plants to giant apes to green dragons. There are also tribes of humanoid monsters, from kobolds to bugbears. There are a few less dangerous races, too, like cloisters of peaceful firbolgs and feral relatives of the river gnomes. One might think this, alone, would keep out all travelers. However, this region is also supposedly home of the lost civilization of Zeth-Kalassi. The Zeth were apparently a powerful race of beings with innate magical powers and fabulous treasures. However, apparently a magical cataclysm (as compared to a physical cataclysm, see the entry for the Scarlands) destroyed that civilization millennia ago. The only thing certain to have survived were the rumors of glittering temples made of gold. Charlatans worldwide sell maps marking these locations, foolish adventurers will follow these, only to return down river, fewer in number, and hopefully retaining their own limbs. More information on the Blood Jungle can be found here: Blood Jungle